Health care reform marks one year

The controversial health care bill celebrated its first anniversary on Wednesday, and Georgia Republicans minced few words in talking about their disdain for the measure despairingly called ‘ObamaCare.’

“The purpose of health reform should be to advance accessibility, affordability, quality, responsiveness and innovation,” U.S. Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., said in a statement. “None of these are improved by ObamaCare. They are threatened by ObamaCare because the goal of this law is to expand authority for the government, not opportunity and choices for the American people.”

Georgia has joined more than two dozen other states in challenging the health care law. The lawsuit was initially filed by the state of Florida.

In January, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson said the federal government cannot force people to buy health care insurance. But, in response to a motion from the federal government, Vinson stayed his ruling, saying the case should “move forward as soon as practically possible.”

The legal challenge is expected to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

“We were told by the President that people could keep their current insurance if they like it, and 7 million senior Americans have lost their Medicare Advantage insurance and as many as 51 percent of Americans will lose their employee-sponsored plans in the coming years,” U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., said in a statement.

“We were also told it wasn’t going to have any effect or impact on Medicare for our seniors but yet, it has taken half of a trillion dollars out of the Medicare trust fund,” Isakson added. “Worst of all, we were told that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would lower the cost of health care but it has made health care for Americans less affordable and will result in higher premiums for families.”